Cloth guiding device



July 25, 1933. Q H COOUDG'E 1,919,291

CLOTH GUIDING DEVICE Filed Jan. 19, 1932 (fa/Jar 7600/ a.

Way:

w rw r UNTITEDQSTATES PATENT CHA LES HJcooLIDGE, for WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR Toemma COMPANY, on WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION Patented July 25,1933

, MARBLE ACHINE or MASSACHUSETTS Application filed January v19, 1932. Serial: in. 587,565.

The principal objects of this inventionjare to provide a self-contained, self-actuated, means for changing the angle ofthe roller used forguid ng cloth nto a'maclnne to provide a construction which canlbe installed to use a much shorter length of cloth travel than heretofore; to provide a construct1ontherefor which will be very much simplified .over

an the present arrangements and will not infor correcting any deviation ofthe cloth from a correct line of travel; and to provide a coin struction which can be used for clothhaving a slackor elongated selvage i Other objectsand advantages oi: the invention will appear hereinafter.

- Reference is to be had to theaccompa nying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is an elevation ofthe device reprise M on one edge of the cloth;

Fig. 2 isanend view ofthe same; V 4

Fig.3isaplan; r; 1

Fig, 4 is a view of the end opposite that shown in Fig. 2, and i Fig. 5'is an elevation showing the devices El on both sides of the cloth and illustrating the cloth being guided through this. device. g

It is customary to guide cloth, where'it is desired to have it enter a machine in certain definite position, between pairs of guides lo} cated at opposite edges and having, rollers which are automatically brought out of operation by complicated electrical or mechanical means operated by the edge of the cloth and depending on its tautness when the cloth moves to one side. Thus the guiding devices on the other side will bring the cloth back .into central position, The said roller guides are mounted at an angle to a transverse line across the cloth. It is chieflyuto avoid the,

complicatedmechanical and electrical devices that this inventionfis made. I

Fig. '5 shows the rollers of a pair of these devices running at an angle and in their normal position in the lower part of the figure,

with theclothfrunning centrally; When in.

has alugon the bottom adapted to slide along than the roll 15.

the position shown below in Fig. 5, the rollers have a fillingextending'spreading action on the cloth andthey are supposedto act equally so that the cloth will remain central. When the cloth does move to one side, these rollers,

which have previously involved a pair'of rollers in each case for grippingtheLcIQth,

are released fromgripping'conta'ctwith it, t that is, either the upper or lower roller is movedaway, The result is offlcourse that th'e 9 7 rollers in contact on the other side of the cloth will gradually pull it over into central position, then the mechanism will operate automatically again to provide full contact at both edges. i i

According-to thepresent-invention, there 1s a right and left-hand screw 10 extending across the machine adaptedto be turned to adjust the two frames 11, which have screwthreaded lugs forthis screw, towardor from each otherjto provide for cloths of difl'erent widths. This framell is'mountedinstatiom ary position aside from its adjustment and a rod 12 which is parallel tothe'screw.

. The ram "is U-shaped and fsplo'vided' the top and bottom with pointed pivot screws 13 axially in alignment with eachf'other. Thesescrews enter depresslons 1119.; pivotedframe 14 and constitute pivots for that frame. This pivoted'frame 14 is provided with aroll 15 which has anenlarged cylindrical section I ,16 of soft rubber or the like having a friction surface 'and it is also provided with an jend roll 17 somewhat conical, of greater dlameter Thesurface lot the roll 15 d.

between, these two elements 16 and'17 is either I smaller or smoother than these surfaces to prevent the cloth being gripped by it. v V

. The frame 1 1 also is provided with a shaft- 18 having asteelroll 19 thereon free to rotate.

bearings. Theshaft of thisroll19 is pressed down by springs'20against the roll 116 toapply pressure to it. lVhenthe cloth is runnlng between these rolls, they' will have the effect ofspreading it and holding itcentrally as will be described. The springsQO press down against boxes 21 in which the ends-of the shaft 18 .are located and the pressure of y In fact, both rolls are free to rotate in their the springs is adjusted by screws 22 above. Thebearings or boxes 21 are mounted in guides 23 on the frame 14.

. a screw 26 so as to bring it in such relationbeyond that point.

ship with the roll 17 that, if the cloth comes into this bite,- it will fill the space and exert a pressure on this roll 17 so that the roll will perform a certain function as will appear. Also there is a guide 27 mounted on the frame 14 for guiding the cloth into this position. It is to be noted that the change is effected by action on the opposite surfaces of the cloth, instead of the edge. -This makes it possible to'operate accurately on slack or elongated selvages.

On the frame 11 is a bar 28 which is pro vided with two adjustable stops 29 at opposite sides adapted to engage the frame 14 as it swings on its pivots andlimit the motion in both directions.

, The normal running of 'the cloth, whether it is moving. vertically, horizontally, or other wise, is shown in full, lines in Fig. 5. Here, as stated, two pairs of rolls 16 and 1-9 always engage the'cloth near its selvages, both during' normal and during abnormal running, and tend to keep it spread out flat and also to keep it running in a straight line. As the frame 14 is mounted on pivots 13 freely, the

v travel of the cloth will pull these rolls forward with the cloth and they will assume the angular position shown in Fig. 5. This frame may engage at that time 'onefof the stops Y29 and then is not capable of moving If the cloth moves to one side, as indicated in the upper position in 5, far enough to come in between the roll 17 and the plate25, it will turn this roll with the cloth and-as the compression plate is stationary on the frame 14, it ,willtu'rn the whole frame on its pivot substantially into a. position at right angles in the direction of travel of the cloth. The result of thisis to leave the rolls 16 and 19 on the other side pulling the cloth over to that side and eventually pulling I the edge ofthe clothout of the bite between the roll 17 and theplate25. It will be obvious that when the frame is turned, in the .manner ust described, to a position substantially at right angles to the line of travel of the cloth, the frame'14 may strike the other stop '29 and then cannotbe moved any farther in that direction. The action just described will bring the cloth back to central position, no matter Whichway'it is wandering out of thatposimarket but in this case no mechanism is in-.

v p volved out-sldeof the guiding means itself, no

electrical or pneumatic apparatus is required,

and the mechanical connections previously usedare practically all eliminated. The device necessarily operates to bring itself back' .to true running position by the pull of the cloth on the rolls 16 and 19 when there is no longer any pull on the roll 17.

It is a very simple device in operation, and I is inexpensive to manufacture and involves very few parts that ever have to be repaired.

Theadjustments are extremely simple. Of course it has to be adjusted for cloths of different widths and also the plates 25 have to be adjusted to cloths of different thicknesses and other qualities such as smoothness,

etc.

Although I'have illustrated and described only one form of the invention, I am aware of the fact that modifications can be made therein by any person skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as expressed in the claims. Therefore, I do not wish to be limited to all the details of construction herein'shown and described, but what I do claim is In a device for guiding cloth 'or-the-like, the combination of a frame pivoted to'swing freely on an axis transverse to the direction of thecloth orthe like, a freely rotatable roll having at .one end an enlarged cylindrical soft-surfaced portion and at the other.

of the selvage thereof, a' friction plate carried by saidzframe and projecting over the conical surface and having a guide for guiding the selvage of the cloth into the: space i between the guide and the conical surface, j said two enlarged parts of the first named roll being located on opposite sides of the axis, whereby normally the travel of the cloth will swing the frame forwardly at the inner end but when the selvage of the cloth enters the space between-the conical roll surface and the plate, the roll and frame will be turned by the friction of the cloth in the opposite direction to bring the axis of the roll into a line transverse to the direction. of the motion of the cloth. CHARLES H. COOLIDGE. 

